Farmers market returns May 29

The farmers market returns to the Health Science Center campus on Thursday, May 29.

A half-dozen vendors will set up shop in a small parking lot near the Camp Bowie Boulevard and Clifton Street intersection (Lot 15 on the campus map) and will be open for business from 3 to 7 p.m. The market, an offshoot of Cowtown Farmers Market, plans to be on campus every Thursday. As the growing season progresses and farmers recover from unusually cold weather in March and April, more vendors will be added.

All wares are grown or prepared within a 150-mile radius of Fort Worth. Everyone is welcome to shop at the market - students, employees and the public.

In addition to spring vegetables, on May 29 the offerings will include homemade tamales, jams and jellies, plant sets, honey, grass-fed beef and pastured chicken. Baked goods will not be offered until a replacement is found for last year's baker, who has retired. Some vendors accept cash only.

The market debuted last summer. It was the first project of the then-new UNTHSC Earth Club, through which students, staff and faculty support community efforts to improve health.

"We saw a need, voiced especially by students, for more fresh food choices," said Alisa Rich, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health, the club's faculty lead organizer. "A diet rich in vegetables and fruits reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and digestive problems, and helps control blood sugar."